Jorge Colindres is the general manager for SanMar in the Americas — that is to say, North, South and Central America. He hails from Honduras and takes a special interest in SanMar’s apparel manufacturing operation there. In this episode, Jorge discusses how efficiency has played and continues to play a big role in his work, and explains how SanMar works with and supports the Honduran community. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS EPISODE How a lottery brought Jorge and his wife to the United States and ul...
Jul 02, 2019•25 min
Shelley Renning is SanMar’s Vice President of Brand Management whose position allows her to, in her own words, “play with clothes all day.” Shelley helps select which brands SanMar sources its products from. In this episode, Shelley discusses how she and her team work to identify and solve customers’ apparel challenges; she dives into how trends and fast fashion are changing the way people do business; and she explains why it’s so important to step out of your comfort zone and connect with other...
Jun 18, 2019•30 min
Jason Hooks is the assistant manager of SanMar’s Preston distribution center located just outside of Seattle. A self-described “cheerleader,” he works with the center’s pickers and packers to ensure that customers receive exactly what they ordered on time. In this episode, Jason discusses the ups and downs of working out of a relatively small warehouse, explains how new technology has made order picking even more accurate, and recounts some of the distribution center’s furrier visitors. THE FINE...
Jun 04, 2019•28 min
Bonnie Wells is a credit manager at SanMar and has been with the company for 14 years. Her accounts receivable team works directly with customers to ensure that they have the best possible experience purchasing from SanMar. In this episode, Bonnie discusses why it so important to enjoy the work you do, how her team works to build customer relationships and how you can make even the most difficult customer conversations into positive experiences. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS EPISODE What does Bonnie...
May 21, 2019•26 min
Mike Knapick is SanMar’s Chief Information Officer. His team ensures that the technology at SanMar is working - for both customers and employees. In this episode, Mike shares the value of technology in our industry, how to prioritize tech that can help your company and why we should install those computer updates more often than we do. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS EPISODE: How Mike and his team stay on top of SanMar’s technological prowess and compliance. Mike describes the serendipitous timing tha...
May 07, 2019•32 min
Since starting SanMar in 1971, Marty Lott has made kindness and honesty key to the company’s daily operations and wants to make it as much a family business as a corporate one. In this episode, Marty discusses how he founded SanMar, explains why being honest and being nice are woven into our company’s policies and where he thinks the industry is headed. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS EPISODE: Debunking some myths about SanMar’s creation and how a college project and brewery got Marty on the path to f...
Apr 23, 2019•29 min
Susan Rye, Director of Regional Sales, learned the value of differentiating herself from the competition at an early age and it has served her well as she has worked to find solutions for customers. She shares her insights into the changing landscape of sales and what it means to be a disrupter in our industry. In this episode, Susan explains why it’s so important to pay attention to the little things that make a big difference for your customers, how you can help customers add value through cre...
Apr 09, 2019•27 min
Jason Murphy is SanMar’s Strategic Manager of Affiliate Relations — though we like calling him our decoration expert. The Decorator Relations Team he’s part of works with the embroiderers, screen printers and other decorators to find solutions to challenges they may have in their shops. Want to know how dedicated he is to the art of decoration? He used to run a decoration shop out of his own garage! In this episode, Jason explains how his decoration expertise helps SanMar customers make the best...
Mar 26, 2019•33 min
Vicki Ostrom is SanMar’s futurist and trend analyst. Technical as that title might sound, what it really means is that she’s responsible for knowing what looks are in, out or about to make big waves in order to ensure that SanMar products are not merely functional but stylish as well. In this episode, Vicki discusses how she follows trends to keep SanMar and its customers on the leading edge of style and also explores the new arena of e-sports. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS EPISODE: How Vicki analyz...
Mar 12, 2019•26 min
Product experts and corporate trainers Holly Rox and Brandon Kerr are on the air with SanMar Radio today to break down how exactly we ensure our staff knows the ins and outs of each of our products, as well as figure out what would be the best training for our customers. They’re an enthusiastic pair who recognize that good training needs to be engaging and enjoyable. In this episode, Holly and Brandon share how they work with both staff and customers to ensure that product training is concise, e...
Feb 26, 2019•31 min
Given the wide variety of social media platforms out there—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even Instagram—it can be difficult to figure out which sites you should prioritize, especially if you have a small team. Luckily Josh Storey, a social media writer at SanMar, knows the answer and is happy to dish out some tips on SanMar Radio. In this episode, Josh discusses the unconventional career path that brought him to SanMar, how smaller companies can take advantage of the platforms available to the...
Feb 12, 2019•29 min
Emily Gigot is SanMar’s social responsibility specialist. In her role, Emily works to ensure that SanMar leaves as small an environmental footprint as possible and that everybody along the company's supply chain can work comfortably and is treated well. In this episode, Emily dives into what corporate social responsibility is, why it’s important, and how SanMar operates ethically and sustainably. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS EPISODE: How Emily’s social responsibility role at SanMar works and what h...
Jan 29, 2019•29 min
Welcome to SanMar Radio, where Tara Wingo and Lisa Terry talk to the experts and dig into the promotional products industry to find the answers and inspiration you need to grow your business. Their first guest is John Lindgren, SanMar’s tradeshow expert, knows what it takes to have a successful presence at a tradeshow - he's been doing it for decades. In this episode, John discusses his time working at SanMar’s tradeshows, explains why no amount of technology can replace people, shares his stori...
Jan 14, 2019•27 min
From tips on tradeshows, to the keys to corporate social responsibility, to the best way to handle your social media accounts and more, hosts Lisa Terry and Tara Wingo have got you covered. They talk to the experts and dig into the promotional products industry to find the answers and inspiration you need to grow your business. SanMar Radio premiers in January. Subscribe today!
Jan 10, 2019•2 min
